Getting Stuff Back

My mom had consigned some of her antiques to a shop before she moved. The person was to clean them up, repair them, etc. More than 2 years later, we're still trying to get them back. She tried before she moved, the person was constantly out of town. I've been trying off and on since. I get either "I'm out of town" or "They're not done". I finally said I was going to pick them up by Thanksgiving, only to have them not there. I'm trying again for Christmas, though currently I'm told they're out of town. By the new year, if I still haven't gotten them, it's to the point of getting a lawyer. I don't want to deal with a lawyer, but this is ridiculous. If it gets to that point, I'll identify the shop and the person. I hope it doesn't get to that point.